Brian Barrett

Hey, look! It's a gimmicky USB drive that actually provides a somewhat useful service! Lockface, developed by Futen in Japan, uses your computer's web cam to identify you before letting you access its data.

The flash drive holds 4GB of memory—though larger capacity models are planned—and employs 256-bit AES encryption. To use, you register several pictures of your face, which will then be checked against what your web cam sees to confirm that you're the owner. The entire process takes about one second.

The drive is about 98% accurate, with a backup password authentication system for that other 2% of the time. Surprisingly enough, there's also no need to download or install any additional software. Lockface also looks like it could double as a bottle opener, but it's probably too small and expensive for that at 22×4×55mm and $110. Currently only available in Japan. [Excite News (translated) via Crunch Gear]